1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new weight and health monitoring apparatus, and more particularly, to an apparatus that provides personal information regarding the individual's general physical condition and diet based upon data supplied to the apparatus.
2. Background Art
There have been numerous weighing type machines, whereby an individual may monitor weight progress during periods of weight gain or loss.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,146,727 discloses a weight and height measuring apparatus to determine if the user is overweight, underweight, or normal weight. Overweight and underweight people receive a card containing suggested diets. The cards may also contain other health hints regarding exercise, sleep, etc. The machine takes into account the differences of the weight of men and women.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,836,980 discloses an apparatus for measuring the height and weight of an individual and compares this information against medically recognized standards. The standard weight will also be displayed. The standard is determined according to age and sex. The apparatus may be coin operated.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,593 discloses a personal weight recorder that is mechanical and employs a stylus to chart the day-to-day changes in the weight of an individual. This recorder can be helpful in charting such things as the progress of a weight-reducing diet, the recovery of a patient from a serious illness, or the advance of disease.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,690 discloses a digital readout scale having an accuracy of tenths or hundreths of a pound. A memory circuit stores information to provide a readout of the relative difference with the prior weight. A switching circuit enables the scale to be used by several different people. The scale may be used to chart the growth of children.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,792 discloses an electronic scale which tracks the weight of an individual over a period of time to determine weight differentials and providing the individual with weight related information (e.g. - program start date, total weight change since the start of program), to determine further course of action for weight control.
In this information age, people are no longer willing to insert a coin into a machine merely to learn their weight. As we become more health conscious, people are attempting to extend the number of healthy years by exercising and being more physically active. The way that people perceive food is changing as we become more health conscious. The modern approach to food is that by controlling the quantity and types of food that we eat, we can also improve our appearance, strength, performance, and general overall health.
Two excellent barometers of general physical fitness are weight and pulse rate. As we engage in our regular exercise programs, which include intense physical activities (such as jogging, aerobics, biking, skiing, golf, tennis, and swimming) we continually monitor weight and pulse rate data to determine our overall physical fitness. Also, we people have been increasingly health-conscious, we want to know how we can might modify our diets to improve general physical health, job performance, relieve stress, retard the aging process, and improve the overall quality of our lives. In addition, we are each unique regarding dietary preferences and general health conditions that impact the type and quantity of food that we eat.